Grain-drill.



, No- 762,813. 7 PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

i W. FETZER.

GRAIN DRILL.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY a, 1903.

no MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No.762,813. PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904 W. PETZER.

GRAIN DRILL.

. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 8, '1903.

N0 MODEL. 3BHEETSBHBET 2.

N0. 762,813. PATBNTED JUNE 14, 1904.

W. PEIZER.

GRAIN DRILL.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1903. NO MODEL. I 3 SHEETS-SHBET 3- PatentedJune 14, 1904;

PATENT OFFICE,

WILLIAM FETZER, OF MIDDLETOlVN, OHIO.

GRAIN-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,813, dated. June14;, 1904.

I Application filed July 8, 1903. Serial No. 164,674. (No model.)

To all whom it, may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM FE'rzER, a citizen of the United States,residing at'Middletown, in the county of Butler and State of grains,especially winter wheat and rye, be-

tween the growing rows of corn, which rows are on an average of fromthirty-eight to forty-' six inches apart, so that the ground may befully utilized, and when the corn crop is harvested there will stillremain a full crop covering the entire ground exceptin the rows wherethe corn stood and-which crop 1s usually wintered over and harvested atanother;

To do this planting of the small season. grams between the rows of corn,a machine known as a five-hoe drill has been most, commonly used; butsuch machme has numerous disadvantages, among which are that it hassimply a clevis-hitch like a plow, a forward supporting Wheel or wheelsin front of the furrow-opening devices, which required the placing ofthe draft-animal much too far in front, and themachine was guided fromthe rear by plow-handles and the operator walked in the rear to guidethe machine as best he could by said plow-handles, which has always beenfound burdensome work, particularly at the time it is used'during thehot summer months between the high rows of corn, where no breeze reachesthe operator. The result of this old style machine is that the operatorhas no perfect guiding control of it and has to manage it by bodilystrength, which under the circumstances is very exhausting, and it canand does swerve from side to side, thereby injuring'the roots of thegrowing corn and decreasing'the yield of the corn crop to a greater orless extent. My improved machine is designed to remedy all of thesedifiiculties. It is designed to bring the operator directly in rear ofthe draft-animal, so that he can have perfect control of it, and tocarry the operator on the machine, where his weight will be useful inforcing the furrow-openers into :the ground-and it contemplates as adeparture in. this class of machines a machine upon which the operatorcan ride instead of hav- 'ing to walk behind it and handle it by mainforce after the manner of a plow and in which the operator riding on themachine has com- ;plete control of it in themanagement of all its partsboth for raising and lowering the furrow-openers from the ground andregulating their depth of penetration, the proper guiding of thedraft-animal to insure the true running of the machine and theprevention of m ury to the roots of the growing corn, and

also the provision of a framework for the seedmg mechanlsm andfurrow-opening mechan- 1sm, whlch framework is provided with supportingor carrying wheels in rear of the furrow-opening mechanism and with adriving connection from either or both of said wheels totheseed-distributing mechanism and with :shafts in front for thedraft-animal and a seat on the frame or the seedbox thereof for theoperator. pactness of structure is obtained.

has over his animal, so that themachine can be perfectly guided withgreat ease and without injury to the roots of the growing corn on eitherside. I

Among other things, my invention contemplates the employment in amachine of this character of disks as the furrow openers, wh1ch disksare carried on drag-bars and each of which has a spring-pressure appliedthereto under the control of the operator onthe machine, who canregulate the extentof the pres sure, although each is independentto'rise in passing obstructions and will then resumeits workingposition. While this is the-preferred construction of furrow-openingmechanism, it. is to be understood that my invention is not to belimited to a furrow-opener of the disk type, but that any otherpreferred form of furrow-opener may be employed aswell.

Having thus given a general outline of the purposes and objects of myinvention, I will now proceed to describe it in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings and will set out my inventionspecifically in the claims;

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view of amachine embodying my invention, the fore part of the shafts being brokenFig. 2, Sheet 2, is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, Sheet 3, is arear elevation of the machine.

- The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inall the figures. 7

I will now describe a practical machine embodying my invention in itsform best known to me at present.

A is the main carrying-axle of the machine, supported on two wheels B,either or both of which may be made fast to the axle or may haveratchet-and-pawl connection therewith after the manner of hay-rakes orother agricultural implements.

Supported upon the axle A by means of is preferably a U-shaped metal barset'on edge, and to this frame are secured, by means of bracket-arms aor in any other suitable manner, the seed-hopper E and at the forwardend of the frame by means of truss-brackets I), Fig. 1, the thills orshafts .F.

Secured to and pendent from the forward member of the frame D are twobrackets Gr, one at each end, to which are secured a pair of parallelmetal bars 0, between which are clamped draw-bar heads (Z, to which theforward ends of the drag-bars H are suitably pivoted and to which bars 0the connectingstrap 6 of the swingletree I is also connected. Thedrag-bars H carry at their rear ends in the usual or any suitable mannerfurrowopening disks J, which are pivoted thereto and whose pivotal axesare in advance of the axis of the carrying-wheels B.

The grain from the hopper E is conveyed, through suitable feed-wheels ordistributors in thebottom of the hopper, into spouts K after a mannerwell-known in hoe-drill, shoedrill, and disk-drill construction andthence is deposited, by means of suitable shields or other guides, intothe furrows made by the disks, and the seed-distributing wheels are allmounted on a shaft L, driven by suitable gearing from the shaft A, inthis instance by a sprocket-chain M, connected with a shaft or spindlem, carrying a speed-regulating disk a well known in grain-drillconstruction and which is adjustably geared in the usual or any suitablemanner to the shaft L.

The shields or boots 0 of each of the disks J have upwardly-projectingarms P pivoted thereto and whose upper ends are surrounded by coiledsprings f, whose upper ends bear against arms 9, projecting from arock-shaft R in brackets it upon the rear end of the frame D. Therock-shaft R is provided with a hand lock-lever T, adapted to engage asegment-rack S upon one of the brackets 7L and by means of which leverspring-pressure can be put upon the drag-bars to force the disks intothe ground to the required depth or to lift them entirely out of theground, while at the same time each disk when in operating position andthe lever is locked can have independent play to rise and pass anobstruction. The hand lock-lever T is within convenient access of thedriver, who sits upon a seat U, in this instance supported upon thehopper or seedbox E, but which may be supported upon the frame in anyother suitable position or convenient manner, and for the more perfectmanipulation of the machine the lower end of the hand lock-lever isconnected by a link or pivoted bar V with any suitable throw-outmechanism, which when the disks are raised disconnects the seeding mentof said mechanism. bracket-arms C, Fig. 2, is the frame D, which Wrepresents any suitable scrapers carried by the boots 0 and adapted toengage the concave sides of'the disks.

All of the foregoing details of mechanism are merely for illustratingthe manner of utili-zing my inventionand in the best Way that occurs tome at present; but it is to be understood that my invention is to beinterpreted in the broadest sense that the language of my claims imply.

By the above construction I produce a drill for planting between thestanding rows of corn which is exceedingly compact in its structure; inwhich the driver and operator rides on the machine and has the mostabsolute control in guiding the draft-animal to prevent injury to theroots of the corn; in which the weight of the operator is added to themachine, thus doing away with the necessity of weight-boxes heretoforeused; in which the furrow-openers are yieldingly secured to the frame,so as to act independently and not tilt the whole frame, as in formerconstructions of machines of this class; in which the depth ofpenetration of the furrow-openers can be regulated at will; in whichthere is no tendency whatever of the furrow-openers to clog up withtrash, and in which the entire machine is within direct and positivecontrol of the operator and is calculated to do its work in the mostperfect manner possible.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim- 1. In a ridinggrain-drill, carrying-wheels, a supporting-frame, a draw-bar extendinglaterally beyond the line of said wheels, dragarms connected therewith,said arms terminating relatively between said wheels, and, laterally,beyond the same, disks on said dragarms, means for adjusting said disksvertically, independently-operable means for permitting independentvertical play of said disks, and a seat above said frame located betweensaid wheel-axis and said draw-bar.

2. In a riding grain-drill, carrying-wheels, a supportingframe, themajor portion of which is forward of the axis of said wheels, a draw-barextending laterally beyond the line of said wheels, drag-arms connectedtherewith, said arms terminating relatively between said wheels, and,laterally, beyond the same, disks on said drag-arms, means for adjustingsaid disks vertically, independentlyoperable means for permittingindependent vertical play of said disks, and a seat above said framelocated between said wheel-axis and said draw-bar.

3. In a disk grain-drill, a rigid supportingframe, shafts connectedtherewith, a draw-bar connected with said frame, drag-bars pivotallyconnected with said draw-bar, a swingletree also connected therewith,means for regulating the thrust of said disks in series, andindependentmeans for permitting separable vertical movement of saiddisks.

4c. In a riding, disk, grain-drill, a rigid supporting frame, shaftsconnected therewith, supporting-wheels, a draw-bar connected with saidframe, a swingletree and drag-bars con-' nected with said draw-bar,disks carried by said drag-bars between the wheels, and, laterally,beyond the same, a single adjusting means common to all of the disks,and independent spring connections adapted to permit separate playthereof. v

5. In a riding, disk, grain-drill, carryingwheels, a supporting-framecarried thereby,

comprising a substantially U-shaped metallic member, a seed-hoppersupported thereon, a draw-bar connected with said frame, a swingletreeand drag-bars connected with said draw-bar, disks connected with saiddrag-bars, means for adjusting said disks in series, and means forpermitting independent vertical movement thereof.

6. In a disk grain-drill, a rigid supportingframe, shafts connectedtherewith, a draw-bar extending transversely across said frame at itsforward end position, a swingletree connected with said draw-bar,drag-bars pivot ally connected with said draw-bars, disks thereon, meansfor regulating the normal elevation of said disks, in series, andseparate means for permitting independent vertical movement of saiddisks.

7. In a disk grain-drill, carryingwheels, a frame mounted above thesame, shafts con nected with said frame, a seat carried on said framebetween the plane of the wheel-axis and the said shafts, drag-barsconnected with said frame and terminating in advance of the axis of saidcarryingwheels, disks thereon operable between said wheels, andlaterally beyond the same, and means, supported above the rear portionof said frame, for adjusting the said disks vertically, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a disk grain-drill, carrying-wheels, a

supporting-frame, a draw-bar suspended below the plane of said frame,draft appliances connected withsaid draw-bar so that draft is appliedfirst to the draw-bar and from thence to the frame drag-arms alsoconnected with said draw-bar, and disks on said drag-arms,

said drag-arms and means for adjusting said disks.

10. A riding grain-drill of the character described comprising incombination, a frame, shafts therefor, a draft appliance supported belowthe shafts, drag-arms connected therewith, cutting-disks on said arms,supportingwheels and a shaft therefor, in the rear of said disks and aseat between said shaft and the point of connection of said drag-armswith the draft appliance.

1.1. In a riding grain-drill of the character described, the combinationof a frame of a size and shape adapted to permit its passage betweenrows of corn, disk furrow-openers independently carried thereby and freeto have individual play, means for supplying grain to the furrows openedby said disk,

carrying-wheels supporting said frame, and

a draft appliance adapted to afford a guiding means for the drill.

WILLIAM FETZER.

Witnesses LAVVRENOE VVOLVERTON, E. PAULIN.

IOO

